James
PopularA boy's name meaning holder of the heel, supplanter (via Jacob).
Approved in Estados Unidos. James is on the official SSA list of names you can register. In the national top 20 of 2025.
Origin
English form of the Late Latin name Iacomus, a variant of the Biblical Latin form Iacobus, from the Hebrew name Yaaqov, the same name that gave Jacob and Portuguese Jaime.
Story
It was the name of two apostles in the New Testament, Saint James the Greater, brother of John, and James the Lesser, son of Alphaeus. It has been used in England since the 13th century but became more common in Scotland, where it was borne by several kings. It spread widely in the 17th century when the Scottish king James VI inherited the English throne.
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Get startedSources & references
- Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications · SSA · ssa.gov (approved-name list & birth statistics)
- Behind the Name · James